By the Grace of the Goddess
by Ariaform
Summary: Anna, the goddess of fate, has taken many forms throughout her life. She watches over the heroes, resetting their fates in times of need, and for her dealing with the heroes involves far more than just gold. Now in Ylisse she is drawn closer into Robin's battle to prevent the incident that killed so many of his friends.


Anna smiled, waving away her final customer with her signature grin. Yet another band of heroes on an adventure to save the world. It had become almost predictable to her. Well, it would have if she didn't already know exactly how it would end for them. Anna's smile faded as she turned away from the adventurers. It really was a shame. So many lives lost to needless violence. But it kept her in business so she could hardly complain. She looked back at the group and shook her head. Magic coiled around her, dancing through her fingertips and sending cold jolts of ice through her body, and with a flick of her wrist she was gone.

Another group of adventurers huddled together, this time in a colder place. Even as the sharp wind chilled them to the bone they would not falter. These ones are stronger than the last, Anna thought as she watched them from the branches of a nearby tree. One of the adventurers looked up, noticing her, and excused himself from the group. They looked confused but let him leave all the same. She continued to watch him as he made his way towards her, pulling on his cloak hood in a futile effort to keep the cold out. Perhaps she should start wearing a cloak. The cold didn't bother Anna personally but she was certain that it must look odd to those that saw her. Not that many people ever did get the chance to see her. Only those unfortunate enough to need her help were ever given that opportunity. The adventurer looked up at her but remained silent. Anna hopped down from the tree and closed the gap between them both. The adventurer pulled down his hood in what she assumed was a sign of respect. He looked healthier this time. Happier too.

"Hello again, Mark." She said, clearly having to start the conversation this time too. It was rather rude, in her opinion anyway, to wait for her to begin every conversation but he had done this last time they met so maybe it was just his personality. Even when she had appeared alongside him in this world as a merchant or a villager he would wait for her to talk to him. Maybe he just didn't like her. Not many people do. Especially if they are ever unlucky enough to find out what she wants. "It's been a while, hasn't it? They look so happy don't you think? Very different from when we first met. Aren't you glad that you got a second chance at this? Your sacrifice truly has made all the difference to them. But all good things must come to an end, I'm afraid, and now it's time for me to collect my payment. Are you ready?" Anna continued, doing her best to keep her voice soft and calming. This was always the most difficult part. At first she had disliked having to collect her payments but after such a long time it had become just another part of life to her. Waiting for her customers to accept their fates was always the hardest part. Anna never wanted to rush her customers but she couldn't wait too long to collect her payment either. At least most of them accepted it in the end.

Eventually, the tactician sighed. Anna held out her hand for him. It was always best to have the personal touch when dealing with customers. With a final look towards his friends, the tactician took Anna's hand and together they disappeared leaving no trace of either of them save for the group of adventurers waiting for a friend that would never return.

When Anna's eyes opened she found that she was grasping at air. Mark was gone. It was always like this but it never failed to sour her mood at least a little. An entire life vanished into thin air just for a chance of fleeting happiness. But she was never alone for the next part. Another man stood facing her, a gentle smile appearing on his face when he saw Anna. He walked towards her almost without movement. She wasn't sure that it could even be called walking. Gliding? Floating, perhaps? Either way, he was getting closer to her and that was all that really mattered to Anna. He placed a kiss on Anna's forehead and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to pull him closer and run her hands through his hair. The colour of chocolate, she thought, and fine leather and the trees they used to hide behind to sneak kisses. But it could never last. Her hands slipped through him as if he was a ghost and he began to fade away. His mouth was open as though he was going to say something. Anna wished that he would. It had been so long since she had heard his voice. But then he was gone.

It was better this time, Anna tried to tell herself. They were able to touch, even if it was only for a short time. But it was far too short and bittersweet to make her feel any better. But there was still hope. Maybe next time they met they could talk even for just a little while. Anna just had to believe that. What else could she do? She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. There was no use in dwelling on these things. Time is money, or so they say, and money is one of the few things in the world that she cared for regardless of which world she was in. She felt the familiar magic snake around her as she too disappeared. Not that it could ever be considered magic in the traditional sense. Anna had never needed magic like the humans did. But it was always just easier to explain it to them using familiar terms. Very few humans would ever try to understand her and even those that did would treat her as if she was a goddess. Not that they were wrong, but it did get old after the first few times. It also made it very hard to do business, which was far worse in Anna's opinion.

The next world was one of warmth and dust, a dry heat that Anna was certain would cause trouble for any human nearby. But that was why she was here, wasn't it? Humanity always called for her at times like this. When all else failed humans would turn to fate to guide them through their problems. Very few of them, however, expected that such help would cost them. But life is all about the giving and taking of things whether that be possessions, emotions and even lives. Why would a goddess be any different? Yet so many tried to escape their fate through violence, pleading or simply just running away. It never worked. Not that she would want it to. Having seen firsthand what happens when you ignore fate's call, Anna would never wish that kind of life on anyone. But she couldn't just ignore the people in need of her help either. Anna placed her hands on her hips and sighed. Hopefully her newest customer would accept their fate as amicably as Mark. Not that it mattered. They always ended up the same.

Anna could feel the tendrils of darkness writhing around the sand, clearly a sign that she needed to hurry up. She certainly couldn't let such an interesting person get corrupted into...well, she didn't know what exactly. Her usual customers were never quite so important. After following the darkness to its most concentrated point she stopped and forced herself to smile. Service with a smile, that's what she always said. How else could she gain the trust of her customers? A pretty face only goes so far in this line of business.

As she got closer Anna could hear the sobs of her newest customer. It seemed to merge with the darkness, which pulsed in rhythm with the crying as despair set in. Normally Anna was used to seeing death and destruction but watching the darkness emanating from the white haired man was somewhat unsettling even for her. This level of despair can usually only be seen in much larger groups of people. For so much of it to manifest from only one person was unheard of. But then again, he certainly wasn't her normal kind of customer.

She approached him cautiously, stepping over the corpses of the man's friends to get to him. Stepping in their blood wasn't exactly how she wanted it to go but using magic would probably startle him more. Anna couldn't have a potential customer running out on her now, could she? Now that she was close to him, she could see the man he was holding to his chest. Prince Chrom of Ylisse, she realised, or was that exalt now? Anna wasn't too concerned about him. He wasn't the one she was interested in.

"Hello there!" Anna whispered. She tried her best to be quiet but with no other living souls around it seemed far louder than it should have. Her customer got to his feet with a start, letting go of the corpse and placing a hand on his sword. Anna held her hands up in surrender. "No, no, there's no need for that. I'm not your enemy, Robin. Besides, it wouldn't really work on me anyway." She continued in a more natural tone, mumbling the last part once he had relaxed his grip on the sword.

"How do you know my name?" Robin asked, trying to stare down Anna. It might have worked if she was human but even then Anna doubted it. He couldn't keep his gaze on her for more than a moment, eyes flitting to Chrom and lingering far longer than they should.

"Doesn't everyone know the name of Ylisse's greatest tactician? I'm Anna, by the way." Anna was certain that he would have rolled his eyes at her if he was less preoccupied. Maybe next time they talk he would have a better appreciation for her. Anna waited for his next question. This part was always so predictable. Maybe she should just write a script for it. Even her most interesting customers were slow thinkers when consumed with grief.

"So what is it that you want?" He finally said, a little curter than Anna had expected. Anna wondered if he had been thinking his question over or had he just become distracted by the blood that dripped from his hands.

"Actually, it's more about what you want." Anna leaned forward and clasped her hands in front of her. The soft smile that she had kept plastered to her face grew wider and more genuine. "So why don't you tell me about that."

"What I want?" He repeated, looking over at the bodies of his friends. Most of them were unrecognisable now. Magic, Anna would have guessed if she didn't already know. "Why do you want to know that?" It was only natural that Robin would be suspicious of her. Most of her customers felt the same when she first met them too. After all, how many times did they see strangers offering genuine kindness? Although Anna wasn't too sure about the genuine part since she was getting something so precious in return.

"I want to help you."

"I don't think that you could help. It's far too late for that."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong!" She grinned, taking a step closer to Robin. "I can help you. You won't have to live without them. Don't you want them back?" A little on the nose but an opportunity like Robin was one that she couldn't miss.

"Of course I do!" He shouted. "But what am I supposed to do? I can't just bring them back. Do you think that I would still be here if I could?!" He balled his hands into fists, crimson spurting out in what would be a comical fashion if it was anything other than blood that fell from his hands.

"No, you can't bring them back." Anna agreed, earning a confused look from Robin. "But you don't need to. I can send you back, back before any of this happened, to when you first met them. You can have a second chance."

"How?"

"It's easy enough, really. Just a little bit of time travel. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. You aren't the first person to do this and you definitely won't be the last." Anna explained. "But-"She began, ready to explain the terms and conditions of the procedure. She wouldn't be much of a merchant if she just let her customers do what they like. Robin sighed loudly. Just as rude as her previous customer, then. What a shame. Up until now he had been so responsive to her. Far more than Mark had been.

"Of course you want something in return. What is it? Gold? I don't have much of that, I'm afraid. Most of the war funds have been depleted."

"I don't want gold. Not this time, anyway. What I want is something precious. The chance I'm giving you is extremely valuable, something a lot of people would kill for, and so it's only fair that I ask for something of equal value don't you think?" She stood closer to him now and grasped his hands. "What I want is you, or rather your soul. Well, not quite your soul but it's easier to call it that. Not immediately so don't worry. I'll only take it once you have faced your fate." Anna did her best to explain it in as many small words as possible. While Robin did seem more open minded than most of her customers it was best not to push it too far in a first meeting. She didn't want to drive off a potential sale.

"I...see." He really didn't. "What are you then? You clearly aren't human."

"No, I'm not. I'm a goddess. Either the goddess of fate or luck depending on who you ask. So will you take the deal? It's a onetime offer, I'm afraid. I know that the price might seem a little high but think about it for a moment. In return for your one soul you'll be saving the lives, or souls, of everyone here. Lissa, Fredrick, Chrom, they'll all be alive because of you. You can even prevent this from happening again. Once you do that, you can find your true destiny."

"So they can all live? It won't just loop around to this point again, will it?"

"Yes, they will all be alive again. No, it won't loop around. Unless you fail to prevent it, that is. One of the problems with time travel. There are a couple, I'm afraid."

"So what are the others?" Robin asked, leaning forward to meet her gaze.

"Well, the obvious one is that they won't remember you or anything that has happened since the moment they met you. The second is that you can, under no circumstance, reveal any information about what I've done for you. If you do that our contract will be broken and your soul will be forfeit. I don't want that and I'm sure you don't either. You can use the knowledge you've gained from these experiences but you can't tell anyone how you know these things, including other people that claim to have time travelled. Is that clear enough?"

"Y-yes, that's fine." He nodded, looking slightly similar to a lost puppy.

"Good." Anna grinned. This was an easier sale than she expected. "If you do ever need to talk about the time travel or if you have any questions about it then come and find me. You'll be seeing a lot of me from now on. In fact, I might even join you if you're interesting enough. Now, are you ready or do you need a little time to prepare?"

"Actually..." He said, trailing off as he looked at Chrom. "What if one of them ended up dying again?"

"I can't send you back in time whenever someone dies. Our deal is already heavily weighted in your favour. If you're so worried about them dying then tell them to retreat if they struggle in a fight." Robin remained silent, thinking it over.

"What about...if it was only one person? I don't mean sending me all the way back to the beginning again. What about just before the battle?" Robin's eyes never left Chrom's body. So that was what he was so concerned about. Oh to be young and in love again, Anna thought. Minor time travel like that wouldn't be too difficult. Annoying and time consuming but not difficult. But Robin was interesting, far more than her previous customers, so perhaps just this once she could compromise. His soul truly is one of a kind and just the thought of letting such an opportunity slip by her was enough to convince her.

"I suppose for you I can allow it. But when the time comes for me to collect my payment I want you to come with me immediately. It's the least you can do for my kindness. Now then, about the specifics. I will allow you to return to the start of the battle if either you or Chrom die. Since this is time travel the same restrictions apply. Only you will remember it and you can never talk about it to anyone other than me. Is that still acceptable?"

"It is. Thank you so much." Robin replied quickly.

"Alright. Once you feel like you're ready just close your eyes and I'll send you back. I won't be there when you wake up but I'm sure that you will be fine." Anna said as Robin closed his eyes. She summoned her magic and opened a gate. She could feel the darkness fighting against her but she ignored it and pushed Robin through the gate. If all went well, the darkness would no longer have a grip on him.


End file.
